1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector used for electrical connection between various devices mounted on an automobile or the like, and more particularly to a connector provided with a connector housing and a rectangular wire terminal to be press-fitted into the connector housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been developed various kinds of connectors in each of which a rectangular wire terminal (circuit board terminal) composed of a metallic rectangular wire is inserted and held in a cavity (terminal holding hole) formed in a connector housing of the connector.
For example, there has been developed a technique that prevents rattling of a terminal metal fitting (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-215959). In the technique, a through hole into which a tab of the terminal metal fitting is inserted has holding projections formed for pressing both sides of the tab at positions deviated from each other. The tab sandwiched between the holding projections prevents the movement of the terminal metal fitting with respect to a socket body.
Furthermore, there has been a terminal structure using a rectangular wire (rectangular wire terminal), the terminal structure being capable of preventing rattling of the rectangular wire terminal in the vertical direction and maintaining holding force when the rectangular wire terminal is press-fitted into a terminal holding hole of a connector housing (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-243495, for example). To be more specific, the terminal structure is provided with two sets of a pair of first lock projections formed, in an intermediate portion of a circuit board terminal (rectangular wire terminal), on the laterally opposite sides of a locking part to be held in a terminal holding hole so as to be press-fitted into the terminal holding hole while being pressed onto respective opposite side walls. The terminal structure is provided with a second lock projection having a longitudinally elongated oval cross-section, the second lock projection being formed between the two sets of the first lock projections so as to be press-fitted into the terminal holding hole while being pressed onto a top wall or a bottom wall in the vertical direction.
FIGS. 12A and 12B each illustrate a connector in a state in which a rectangular wire terminal 150 is press-fitted into a cavity 130 of a connector housing 120. FIG. 12B is an enlarged view of a partial area B1 in FIG. 12A. Generally, a clearance between the cavity 130 and the rectangular wire terminal 150 is required as illustrated in FIG. 12B. Here, FIG. 12B illustrates a clearance Δ1 between a cavity upper face 131 and a terminal upper face 151, and a clearance Δ2 between a cavity side face 132 and a terminal side face 152. To consider a case where there is no clearance, when the rectangular wire terminal 150 is press-fitted into the cavity 130, the cavity 130 and the rectangular wire terminal 150 are always brought into contact with each other thus extremely increasing contact pressure therebetween. As a result, metal burrs are generated from the rectangular wire terminal 150, which may cause defective continuity. On the other hand, there has been the problem that the clearance causes positional accuracy to lower. In the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-215959, the terminal structure is not a press-fit structure and the projecting portions are formed on a resin-made housing side, that is, a cavity side. Hence, the terminal is always brought into contact with the projecting portions when the terminal is inserted into the cavity. As a result, there has been the problem that burrs are easily generated, and another technique has been required. In the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-243495, the press-fit structure is provided in the lateral direction and hence, there has been the problem that burrs are easily generated when the rectangular wire terminal is inserted into the cavity, and another technique has been required.